The Mask of Insanity
by Elbatsnu
Summary: AU - Duo Maxwell has been in an insane asylum for almost four of his adolescent years. He was deemed 'unsafe' for society, but the funny thing is... he's perfectly sane.
1. ..prologue..

-prologue-  
  
"Tell me a story."  
  
Dorothy sighed. "Duo, you know I'm not supposed to tell you a story." The boy she was talking to stared at her blankly, his violet eyes unfocused.  
  
"Please. I want to hear a story. About bears."  
  
"Bears? And no, Duo. It's time for sleep."  
  
"I don't want to sleep. Tell me a story." The violet-eyed boy chewed on his braid, staring up at the blonde girl. The white of his bedding made him seem so pale, and the circles under his eyes seemed darker. His clothing was old, and was beginning to smell. She was the only nurse who would tend to him, and made special allowances just for him, for example, telling him stories.  
  
"Not today, Duo."  
  
Tears welled up in the blurred eyes. She didn't think he could even see her, and yet managed to aim the most pitiful look possible in her direction. "Please."  
  
"I have to get going, I'll tell you a story tomorrow." Dorothy cringed, awaiting the rage that she knew would envelop her favored patient. Sure enough, Duo's eyes darkened, his face twisting into a look of rage. Shocking to Dorothy, the rage disappeared almost as quickly as it had come.  
  
"My feet are cold, I need socks." Duo stared down at his feet. Dorothy's brow furrowed.  
  
"Your room is very warm Duo, and you can't have socks." Duo grinned at her.  
  
"Oh yeah. Relena did fun things with socks. She's dead now right? She's dead, and in the ground, and dead. Right?"  
  
Dorothy bit her lip. "Good night, Duo."  
  
"Have a nice day, Dorothy. Tomorrow you'll tell me a story about bears." Duo spoke without question, he never did. Everything he said was a statement, and everything he did was for a purpose – in his mind, anyway. And a warped one his was.  
  
Dorothy shut the door to his block quietly, hearing faintly the sounds of humming. He was going to sing again. She tapped on the door a few times, and the humming ended, only to be replaced by whistling. Dorothy smiled softly; Duo got tired of whistling faster than singing. Soon he would tell himself a story, likely about bears, and then he would sleep. The next morning he would tell her of the dreams he had, about clowns, or some other type of animal.  
  
She brushed her cyan uniform reflexively, and walked down the hallway. Duo's schedule would change soon, he was to gain a roommate. He had lived in the institution for nearly four years, and the board finally deemed him safe to share a room. Apparently, he was not longer planning to kill the president, who was a bear in a clown suit. Dorothy smiled; Duo's stories were always so interesting.  
  
---  
  
Dorothy awoke the next morning at 7:00 AM, the same time she always did. She took a shower, brushed her teeth, and was dressed by 7:30 AM. She headed out and did a routine check of the blocks. They all housed patients; some rooms shared, most not. There weren't many 'safe' people in this particular institution.  
  
"Miss Catalonia," a voice chimed over the intercom. Screams sounded from the cell next to her, and she grimaced. "Please report to the main office immediately. Your new charge has arrived." Dorothy peeked into Duo's room, checking to see if he was awake. He was already up, sitting crosslegged on his bed and staring at the other bed that had been placed in his room during the night. He turned at the sound of the door opening, beaming and waving when he saw whom it was. She nodded back and smiled, gesturing her head towards the front office. Duo's mouth formed a little 'o', making him look much younger than his 16 years. She winked, closing the door again.  
  
She walked down the hallways briskly, barely nodding at Hilde, another nurse in the institution. At a time, they'd been close friends, taking the same training courses and applying to the same institution. However, time at Scraeview Asylum had split them apart. It had split all the nurses apart. She'd thought it was an odd name, but the founder of the institution's last name had been Scraeview, or so she'd heard. She hadn't bothered herself with the institution's history as much as rules, regulations, and present situations with the declining number of rooms. The room problem was the whole reason Duo had been given an evaluation. Many patients had been given the same evaluation, and some had also been deemed 'safe'. But how safe were they, really?  
  
She shook her head, clearing those thoughts from her mind. She hung around Duo too long. Maybe this new charge would help take her mind off of the braided teen, who'd charmed her instantly. Not romantically, of course. She wasn't that stupid as to fall for a mental patient. Not like Relena…  
  
Relena Peacecraft had been another nurse at the institution. She'd been naïve enough to fall for a patient, who, in turn, had driven her insane. She was soon removed from her duties, and placed in her own cell in the asylum. They'd made the mistake of trusting her. No patients wore socks, ever, until Relena. They made allowances since she'd been on the staff. She'd strangled herself with them one night, and unfortunately, Dorothy had been the one to find her.  
  
Dorothy was strong, and after the incident the board had her take some tests, just to be safe. She was smart enough not to be insulted, she knew what seeing something like that could do to a person. Just look at Duo, she thought grimly, rounding the last corner to the main office. She could already see her charge, a teenage boy, holding nothing but a pillow. She smiled sadly, mentally noting to ask if he could keep it. The boy looked up at her as she neared, and she wasn't startled by the haunted look in his eyes. Dorothy smiled warmly, stopping a few feet from the patient. He obviously wasn't violent, since there was only one person keeping an eye on him.  
  
"Hello," she greeted him softly, as if he were a child. "And welcome to Scraeview Asylum."  
  
  
  
---  
  
  
  
Author – Guess who the patient is! GUESS!! There're millions of people, yes, but guess. It's just so fun. XD And… hey, is Duo really insane? O.o I dunno. Is he? …I need some socks… 


	2. ..chapter one..

-chapter one-  
  
  
  
"Hello," she greeted him softly, as if he were a child. "And welcome to Scraeview Asylum."  
  
He gazed at her with soft blue eyes, his light blond hair making him look innocent. Dorothy knew better than to judge him by his appearance however – this was an institution after all.  
  
"Hello," he replied, just as softly. Dorothy smiled. He was mocking her!  
  
"Fine, fine," she said, rolling her eyes. "I assume you've been read the regulations?" The boy shook his head, indicating a no. Dorothy's brow furrowed in disappointment, usually the staff was much more organized than that.  
  
"Ms. Catalonia," the person who'd been watching the boy stepped forward, holding out a clipboard. She took it from him and read it over quickly.  
  
"Quatre Raberba Winner," she read from the page. "That's your name, right?" The boy nodded, still smiling. Dorothy found that smile very unnerving. "Hm… schizophrenia? Interesting. Which side am I talking to now, Quatre?"  
  
Quatre looked at her, confused. She continued reading the page, and noted that it read "unaware" near the case. She frowned; this was going to get confusing. "Well, Quatre, it seems we're all set. Why don't you follow me and I'll show you where you'll be staying."  
  
Quatre nodded, hugging his pillow and following along behind her. Glancing at her clipboard again, she saw no in-depth descriptions of Quatre's personalities. She mentally noted to bitch at the person who filled out this sheet for her.  
  
"Miss Dorothy."  
  
Dorothy looked up, surprised. "Yes, Quatre?"  
  
"They told me you would read me the regulations. I believe I should learn the rules before I do something wrong."  
  
Dorothy nodded. She silently wished that this side of Quatre was the violent side, but knew that was impossible. He was too gentle, so his other persona was likely to be psychotic.  
  
"All right, the first rule of Scaerview is, do NOT mock the prisoners in orange jumpsuits."[1]  
  
"Why not?" Quatre blinked at her, confused. "What's special about them?"  
  
Dorothy smirked. "They're the violent ones. They will probably kill you if you tease them." Her mind involuntarily drifted to a time where Duo was teasing the paranoid Asian boy, and how he'd needed stitches for the wound made by that plastic fork. "The second rule is, no socks. You don't want to know why, so just don't be mad about having to walk around barefoot.  
  
"Third rule, please, for god's sake, WASH your clothes *once a week*! At least!" She shuddered at the memory of Duo. "And just for hygienic reasons, try to get your roommate to do it too. His name is Duo, you'll meet him soon."  
  
"Duo," Quatre repeated. He glanced up sharply when he heard a scream. His eyes narrowed, and he turned in circles, checking the area surrounding them.  
  
"Yeah, Quatre, you'll have to get used to that. Some of the people here are highly disturbed, and will scream all hours of the day and night. If you find you have trouble getting to sleep, please tell me. I can get you sleeping pills if you need them. I'm the orderly for the wing you're in." Upon reaching the door to the room Quatre would be sharing with Duo, Dorothy paused and looked at her new charge.  
  
"Sometimes Duo tries to escape his room before the lockdown. If this happens, please don't try and stop him. The last person that did got hurt very badly, and so we just let him go if he wants to. He hasn't done this in awhile, but just in case…" Dorothy bit her lip, trying to remember if she'd forgotten anything. "Duo will fill you in on mealtimes, art periods, and the like. I have a bit of business to take care of, so I'll see you at lunch, Quatre."  
  
"Thank you, Dorothy." Quatre smiled warmly and opened the door to his new room, and Dorothy smirked when she heard Duo's excited greeting.  
  
"Miss Catalonia, please report to the main office. Your new charge is here."  
  
Dorothy's brow crinkled in confusion as she glanced up at the speaker in the ceiling. Her charge had just arrived, surely there hadn't been a mistake? She huffed softly, and marched back down the long corridor, back to the main office. She would clear up this mistake, then she'd go into the administrator' office and tell him about Quatre's skimpy file.  
  
What surprised her when she got to the main office was that there WAS somebody sitting in a chair, a pillow lying on the ground beside him. Dorothy stopped dead in her tracks. "What the…?" She frowned, walking over to the guard next to him. He calmly handed her a file and turned to leave when Dorothy grabbed him by the shoulders. Her crystal eyes narrowed dangerously.  
  
"You. Wait. Here. I'm going to talk to Mr. Kushranada about this." The guard gulped, and nodded quickly. Dorothy resisted a smirk. She was very intimidating when she wanted to be. Knocking on the administrator's office door, she didn't wait for a response before barging in. The ginger-haired man inside looked up at her wearily, then sighed.  
  
"Yes, Dorothy?"  
  
Dorothy frowned. "Treize, why wasn't I informed that I was getting TWO new charges today?"  
  
"Dorothy," Treize clasped his hands on the desk, sighing. "I'm sorry you weren't informed sooner. The memo is probably on my desk somewhere." He waved a hand over the paper-strewn desk for emphasis. Dorothy scratched the back of her head, feeling sorry for the head of Scaerview.  
  
"Who filled out the file on Quatre Winner?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"It was horrible, it didn't describe his symptoms, his APPEARANCE, hell, it didn't tell me who'd brought him here! He'd better not be dangerous, Treize, or so help me God…"  
  
"Dorothy, calm down," Treize chided, sifting through some of the folders on his desk. "I'll talk to the girls about the folder, and it'll never happen again. In the meantime we'll have to make due."  
  
"What about THIS one? It's worse than Quatre's!" Dorothy held out her new charge's file to the ginger-haired administrator, and he glanced over it.  
  
"Dore, you're right, it's no where near as thorough as it should be, so we'll have to work with what we have for now. I'll try and get you some full files tomorrow." Treize sighed at his desk. "I really don't have the time today."  
  
Dorothy bit her lip. "All right, Treize. I have one more question though."  
  
"Ask away."  
  
"It says here that this new boy, Trowa Barton, is in room 403."  
  
Treize glanced at the file. "Yes, it does. And?" Dorothy bit her lip again.  
  
"Nothing, sir. Nothing."  
  
  
  
  
  
Author – [1] – A la "Fight Club", ne? I love that movie! XD "The first rule of fight club is, you do not talk about fight club. The second rule of fight club is, you do not TALK about fight club."  
  
Ooooh… who's in room 403? Let's play the process of elimination game! Who's left? 1 and 5. Who've we mentioned? Something about Duo, an orange jumpsuit, and a fork… ne? ^~  
  
I LOVE YOU REVIEWERS!!  
  
I really do. You're all so fun and smart. [thumbs-up]@the people who guessed Q-man. Woooooo! 


	3. ..chapter two..

Author- Okie…. I've been really skimpy on these chapters, ne? x.x; I'm going to work on that as I go along. Hopefully they'll get longer.  
  
To Tori Sanaka: I had absolutely NO idea that was what schizophrenia was! Eek. Well… it's too late to go back and change it, so I'll just refer to it as MPD from now on ^^;;; Arigato(tanks)!  
  
  
  
-chapter two-  
  
"Trowa Barton?" Dorothy called, and the boy in the chair stood up. She turned to the guard, frowning.  
  
"Have you been briefed of his situation?" The guard nodded. "Good. Tell me about it."  
  
The guard shot her a questioning look, but proceeded to answer dutifully. "He was brought here by his stepsister, Catherine Bloom. Apparently, he set the ringmaster of their circus on fire."  
  
Dorothy looked surprised. "Why?"  
  
"From what I heard, he was trying to tell people their fortunes when the ringmaster started yelling at him. When he turned his back, this guy set him on fire. He almost died." Dorothy nodded, lost in her own thoughts.  
  
She glanced at the boy in question, who was standing stiffly and staring straight ahead. He didn't look dangerous, but they never did. His hair was styled oddly, with a bang of hair hanging over his one eye, seemingly defying gravity. She dismissed the guard, who walked away faster than usual, and stepped in front of Trowa. An emerald green eye swiveled down to look at her.  
  
"Hello, Trowa Barton."  
  
"Hello." He spoke in a clear monotone, nothing like the normal pyromaniacs. Not that pyromaniacs were normal, of course. Dorothy turned to walk down the hallway, looking back once to see if Trowa was following, which he was. They walked in silence for most of the way, until Dorothy briefed him on the rules of Scraeview. As they turned into the corridor that he was to reside in, Dorothy remembered vital information that Trowa would need to know.  
  
"Trowa," she spoke slowly, waiting until he was looking at her before she continued. "You will be sharing a room with a pathological liar. Do you know what that is?"  
  
Trowa nodded. "It's a person who lies all the time."  
  
Dorothy smiled lightly. "Yeah, something like that. Your roommate is a pathological liar, and is totally aware of his condition. Not everything he says is a lie, but once in awhile he'll say something that's completely wrong, and believe it to be true. Sometimes he gets frustrated with people. If your roommate gets mad, I want you to leave the room as soon as possible."  
  
"And go where?"  
  
"Anywhere. He might get violent with you if you stick around."  
  
"DOROTHY!" Duo shot out of his room and charged at the pair. He glomped the blonde orderly, and was promptly apprehended by guards monitoring the hallway. Dorothy's eyebrows shot up.  
  
"What's up, Duo?"  
  
Duo didn't speak, glancing back down the hallway. Dorothy followed his gaze and found Quatre, who looked very upset.  
  
"Quatre?" Dorothy called, eyes narrowed. Duo was nervous, and Duo never got nervous. The blonde Arabian patient stared at her, then glared at Duo, who was trying to position the guards between himself and Quatre.  
  
"Where is it?" Quatre growled. Duo frowned.  
  
"It's under your bed, like I already told you!"  
  
Quatre snarled and disappeared back into his room, re-emerging moments later with his pillow in his arms and an eerily passive look on his face. Duo eyed him warily, but eventually was released by the guards and edged over to Dorothy.  
  
"What the hell happened?" Dorothy shot a look at Duo, who stared at her blankly.  
  
"He got mad, that's all." Dorothy reached up to touch a bruise forming under Duo's eye, but he backed away from her and walked quickly back into his room. Quatre followed suit, leaving the door open behind him. Dorothy mentally noted to return and get the real story, but remembered that she had to get Trowa to his room. She thanked the guards, and looked back to the tall European. The brunette was patiently waiting where she'd last seen him, watching her calmly.  
  
"Come on," she called, and they walked past room 387, Duo and Quatre's room, on their way to room 403.  
  
"Who was that?" Trowa asked as they continued walking.  
  
"The one with the long braid was Duo, you might get visits from him once in awhile. He and your roommate are best friends. The other was Quatre. He has multiple personalities, and is also new here."  
  
"I meant the monkey." Dorothy stopped and looked at him.  
  
"The monkey? What monkey?"  
  
Trowa stared back at her. "The monkey with the… nevermind. What if my roommate gets mad at night? You said we weren't allowed out after curfew."  
  
"…Um, okay. Well, your room is one of the few that are monitored. If there's trouble, just walk to the door. If the watchers are doing their jobs properly, the door should come ajar. He's usually pretty friendly though, nothing like when he first came here. Oh," Dorothy paused, hand reaching for the knob of room 403. "If he mentions somebody by the name Relena, leave. Just trust me on that one." She pushed the door open, walking in and glancing around.  
  
"Dorothy." The voice sounded from the corner to the right of the door, and upon looking, Dorothy saw her young charge.  
  
"Heero." The blue-eyed boy stood slowly, looking at Trowa.  
  
"He can't stay here."  
  
"Yes, he can. Heero, you're not dangerous. You're going to share your room with Trowa and you two are going to get along great. Do you understand me, Heero?"  
  
Heero's upper lip curled slightly, but he stuck his hand out to Trowa, who returned a firm handshake. Heero's expression transformed from a partial snarl to a grin.  
  
"Good. A good grip. Maybe you won't have to die after all."  
  
Trowa's eyes widened minutely, but he didn't react otherwise.  
  
"Heero," Dorothy scolded. "Don't threaten your new roommate."  
  
"You didn't say that when I threatened Duo."  
  
"Yes, I did. Even if I hadn't, Duo knows that you wouldn't hurt him. Trowa's new. Be nice to him, Heero. I'm not kidding."  
  
"Ryoukai."  
  
"Very funny." Dorothy rolled her eyes at the Prussian-eyed teen, and turned back to Trowa. "Your bed is on the left side of the room, Trowa. Heero will…" She glanced at Heero, who was smiling at her. She bit her lip, then smirked. "Breakfast is from 8:00AM to 10:00AM. Lunch is served from 12:00PM to 2:00PM, and supper is from 5:00PM to 8:00PM. Curfew is at 9:00PM, and lockdown is at 9:30PM. Can you remember that, Trowa?"  
  
The boy in question nodded, placing his pillow on the designated bed.  
  
"Good," she continued. "Every day, residents are allowed to go to the activity room. You can paint, draw, lounge," she added, glancing sideways at Heero. Heero just shrugged and sat on his bed, smirking. "Or something. Only certain residents can do certain activities."  
  
"What she means," Heero cut in. "Is that if you're here because you stabbed someone to death, you can't play with scissors. Ne, Dore?"  
  
Dorothy's eyes sparkled, amused. "Yeah, something like that." She glanced at her watch. "Shit, I'm late. Trowa, I'll see you later. You too, Heero." She nodded politely and exited the room.  
  
-----  
  
"HEEEEEEERO!" Duo flew into a seat beside his best friend and started picking food off his tray. Heero did not have a plate, and opted to load food onto his tray instead. They had a small cafeteria in their institution, and could only imagine how much the lunch ladies were paid to feed them.  
  
"Baka! Get your own!" Heero growled, batting Duo's hands away. Duo pouted.  
  
"But Heero! That's… so far!"  
  
"Then starve."  
  
"HIDOI!" Duo cried before standing abruptly and marching away to get his food. Heero smirked and continued eating the day's special – French fries. The food at Scraeview was supplied and paid for by OZ, the corporation funding the institution, and the reason Heero was in the asylum in the first place.  
  
Heero nodded to Trowa, who'd sat down in front of him with a tray of his own. Glancing between his own full tray and Trowa's scarcely filled one, he frowned.  
  
"You know, Barton, the food here isn't that bad." Trowa looked at him blankly, acknowledging him, but said nothing. He picked up on of his French Fries and nibbled at it. Heero, who was unsettled by the neatness and order of his companion's eating, averted his gaze. He saw a confused looking blonde boy, and watched as Duo grabbed his elbow and dragged him to their table.  
  
"Ne, Heero, this is Quatre," Duo introduced the blonde, settling next to Heero with a replica of Heero's, a tray that served as a plate and was also covered in food. Heero nodded to the boy as he sat next to Trowa, and Quatre smiled politely.  
  
"That's Trowa," Heero pointed to the brunette, who was still nibbling at the same French fry. Duo mumbled a hello, stared at Trowa and the French fry for a few seconds,, then shook his head and began shoving food into his mouth. Heero, whose tray was now only a quarter full, started picking at Duo's tray and got an elbow in the ribs for his actions.  
  
"Why is everyone wearing a different color of jumpsuit?" Quatre asked quietly, looking around the room at the array of colors. Heero grinned, which happened to freak Quatre out.  
  
"They signify how crazy you are. The ones that will eat you without a second thought wear yellow, and they tone down from there." He gestured to the identical pale blue jumpsuits that he and Duo were wearing. "We're crazy enough that we hurt people, but we don't eat people. Not like…"  
  
Duo snorted. "Idiot, stop lying to the guy." Duo smiled apologetically at Quatre, who looked utterly confused. "Oddly enough, Heero's explanation is close to the truth, except for how the colors are distributed. You two are going to have to wear the same colors as us, but because Dore's our orderly. She wears a uniform that's the same color as our suits. See Hilde over there?"  
  
Duo lifted his plastic fork and pointed it to the left of their table. Trowa and Quatre turned and saw a small, short-haired girl wearing a red uniform. She was trying to confiscate a plastic fork from one of her charges.  
  
"HILDE!" Duo hollered, and watched in amusement as people around the orderly started screaming. The dark haired girl glared at him and proceeded to try and calm down her charges. Duo snickered and glanced at their new companions. "Hilde's charges are… unstable. They hold their own most of the time, but usually don't deal with shouting all that well."  
  
Quatre nodded, taking a bite out of his sandwich. A loud wail startled him, and his sandwich fell on the table with a soft thud, and the four boys turned to look at the entrance of the cafeteria, Duo stuffing crackers into his mouth while Heero snuck bits of lettuce from his tray.  
  
Quatre's eyes widened as a Chinese boy with rich black hair that brushed his shoulders. His pale skin contrasted with his dark hair, while his bright orange jumpsuit seemed to glow. He heard Duo snicker as the boy pushed away an orderly, scanning the room. He looked directly at their table and… smiled. He began walking towards them, ignoring the stares and whimpers of those around him.  
  
Duo spun in his chair, shooting a grin to Quatre and Trowa. "And now, my friends, you will meet Wufei."  
  
---  
  
  
  
Author: LMAO @ Fei screaming for no apparent reason. I don't know, I can just see him doing that. Woot! 


	4. ..chapter three..

Author: Okay, this fic is a blast. Heero cracks me up.  
  
Warnings: Potty mouths. You heard me. XP A tad of Fei's Episode Zero, with a splash of mentioned 5+M  
  
-chapter three-  
  
---  
  
Duo spun in his chair, shooting a grin to Quatre and Trowa. "And now, my friends, you will meet Wufei."  
  
---  
  
"Maxwell," the Asian boy clipped, sliding into the seat next to Duo. Duo saluted him with a piece of lettuce, which Heero promptly snatched and ate. Duo glared at his blue-eyed friend, then grinned at Wufei.  
  
"Hey, 'Fei. How's it hanging?"  
  
Wufei snarled. "I feel like hanging that damned onna. She tried to take away my fucking lunch hour! And this time, it was NOT me who pelted her with a pencil. It wasn't," he added, glaring at the grinning Heero. Quatre stayed out of the conversation, occasionally glancing at Trowa and munching on his sandwich.  
  
"Oh," Duo looked surprised, as if just noticing Quatre and Trowa. "'Fei, this is Quatre and Trowa  
  
"Ah," Wufei arched a delicate eyebrow at the two, studying them closely. "Hn. Greetings." Duo snorted, but Wufei continued unfazed. "My name is Chang Wufei."  
  
Quatre smiled. "Quatre Raberba Winner." Trowa stopped eating his tortured French fry to speak.  
  
"Trowa Barton." Wufei nodded again, snatching a tomato from Duo's tray at the exact same time as a French fry was stolen by Heero.  
  
"DAMNIT!" Duo hollered, swinging a fist at Heero and settling for glaring at the orange-clad Wufei. Eyes ablaze, it wasn't surprising when an orderly rushed over.  
  
"Is everything all right?" A blonde Chinese woman donned in an orange uniform stopped next to Wufei, and seemed to direct her question at the raven-haired patient.  
  
"Everything's fine, woman, so why don't you fuck off?" Wufei growled, obviously disturbed by her presence.  
  
"Wufei…" the blonde woman started, but stopped when she saw Quatre and Trowa. Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing when they saw the new boys, but that might have had something to do with the fact that they were the only ones on the entire compound that wore normal clothes. "Hello, my name is Sally. You must be new here. Are you charges of Dorothy?"  
  
Quatre nodded, not waiting to see if Trowa would respond on his own. "We both arrived today."  
  
Sally smiled. "Well, you seem calm enough. I'm sure Dorothy's thankful for the break." She shot a wary glance at Duo, who still looked unstable. He turned his burning violet gaze at her and she frowned.  
  
"Duo, are you all right?"  
  
"He's fine, woman! Get lost!"  
  
"Wufei," Sally glared at her charge, who returned it evenly. Heero smirked.  
  
"Now, now, Ms. Po. Wufei hasn't done anything to anybody yet. Duo's mad at me because I stole his food." A growl from Duo confirmed his story, and though Sally obviously doubted it, she sighed.  
  
"Very well. Watch your step however, Wufei. You're still on a warning." With a final glance at the Chinese boy, she spun on her heel and walked away. Wufei stuck his tongue out after her.  
  
"She annoys the hell outta me," Wufei snapped, glaring at Quatre. The small blonde flinched outwardly, before grinning darkly.  
  
"I'm sure Hell would be a wonderful place to visit. Butchering people always was a favorite of mine."  
  
"What?" Wufei arched an eyebrow inquisitively.  
  
"I said…" Quatre began, an eerie look on his face. Heero stared at him, bemused, while Duo glanced up briefly then continued to stuff what was left of his food into his mouth. Trowa cleared his throat, and Quatre looked at him, surprised. He glanced around the table to find everyone looking at him. "What?" he asked calmly.  
  
"Multiple Personality Disorder," Trowa answered Wufei's silent question, and the Chinese youth nodded.  
  
"I see. That was, well, odd. What are you here for?" He directed his question to the tall European.  
  
"Arson."  
  
"Arson? That's it?" Wufei sounded disappointed.  
  
"I set a man on fire after he closed down my fortune telling stand at the circus."  
  
Wufei blinked, twice, and snorted. When Trowa continued to stare at him passively, he looked to Duo. The violet-eyed boy shrugged, munching on a piece of bread. Wufei frowned, glancing at Trowa warily. The European looked stable enough, sitting there calmly and eating his food.  
  
"What about you?" Quatre's soft, calm voice snapped Wufei to attention. "Why are you here?"  
  
Duo snorted, and Wufei glared at him. "Idiot, don't mock Meiran like that."  
  
"I didn't disrespect Meiran. I love Meiran." At Wufei's stormy gaze, he held his hands up defensively. "Not like that! I mean… like… uhh… Heero, help me out here."  
  
"Meiran is Wufei's dead wife." Quatre's jaw dropped, and he waited for a burst of anger to come from the Chinese boy. He dared a look at Wufei, and saw that he was taking in his reaction.  
  
"It's… true?" Quatre whispered. Wufei nodded.  
  
"My wife Meiran died three years ago. For a year and a half, her ghost stayed with me and told me to attack people. I loved my wife, I would do anything for her. So I did. I killed many men and women, because my Meiran wished me to do so." Wufei's eyes darkened. "The bastards that own this institution stopped me from doing as my wife wished me to. It is an injustice they will pay dearly for, but for now Meiran seems happy to be here." Duo grinned.  
  
"She's cool," he said, batting Heero's hand away from his tray.  
  
"Wow," Quatre breathed, looking at the Chinese boy oddly. He seemed oddly stable for someone who talked to dead people. Quatre's gaze switched to Heero, who was trying unsuccessfully to grab more food from Duo's tray. "What about you, Heero?"  
  
"Me?" Heero asked, incredulously. At Quatre's nod, he shrugged. "Not all that interesting. I worked for OZ… yes, I did. I'm young, I know, but I'm the best. Stop laughing, Duo. I worked for OZ for a few years, and when I'd get caught doing something for them I'd lie. If they didn't believe me I'd kill them, dispose of the body, and lie about their whereabouts. OZ caught on eventually, and they sent me here. Said I was a danger or some bullshit," Heero growled, rolling his eyes. "So, yeah, not all that exciting."  
  
Duo smirked. "The most exciting thing that happened was here at the asylum."  
  
Quatre arched a blond eyebrow, obviously interested. "Really? What?"  
  
Heero's brow furrowed as he thought. "I used to wear a blue suit. The one I'm wearing labels me more dangerous than blue was. There aren't any blue suits anymore, the orderly died. Even before she died, they moved all of us around when she got put in a cell."  
  
"That's so sad," Quatre murmured. "What was her name?"  
  
"Relena Darlien." Heero smirked. "She became infatuated with me. Whatever excuse she could make to be near me, she made it. I never got any peace. I have one thing to thank her for, though, and that was Duo. After she'd followed me to the art room seven times, Duo ran over and started telling her about how someone was beating another someone over the head with something… or something." Heero waved his hand dismissively.  
  
"She ran out, determined to be the good little orderly. Then Duo barricaded the door. The two of us were in there for…" Heero paused, brow furrowed to show he was thinking. "About four hours. We had each other's life stories memorized by the time they got the block down."  
  
Duo grinned. "I was sent in the White Room for a week. It's a small, dark room with padded walls that you get sent to when you're bad," he added when Quatre looked confused. "As soon as I got out, though, me and Heero started hangin' out. Seems the princess was good for something."  
  
"And, since we both were around each other all the time, you can bet Relena was there too. Duo yelled at her a couple times, but she'd send him back to Dore when he made her mad. Dore wasn't really fond of little Miss Relena."  
  
Duo nodded, still grinning. "Those two fought all the time. I always told Dore about Relena following us around, and since Heero was my only friend she wanted to defend us."  
  
"Relena had nail marks on her face for two weeks." Heero snorted, shaking his head at the memory.  
  
"Eventually, Duo got the brilliant idea to start lying to her. I told her that her real name was Relena Peacecraft, and that people were planning to assassinate her. She became so paranoid it was hilarious.  
  
"After two months she broke down and started screaming at the top of her lungs. She just sat on the hallway floor and screamed for hours. Dorothy got fed up and shoved her in my old room. She had no problem with Duo and me sharing a room. Relena used my room for a week. They let her wear socks, and she strangled herself with them in the night. Dore found her."  
  
Quatre gasped, wide-eyed and pale. "That's horrible!"  
  
Duo smirked. "It may be sad, but I still think it's goddamn funny." Heero chuckled and nodded.  
  
"She was a nice girl, I guess, but she annoyed the shit outta me." He grinned at Wufei, who'd been eating off of Duo's tray while the story went on. Wufei rolled his eyes, yawning and grabbing Duo's fork, twirling it in his fingers.  
  
"That's so sad," Quatre murmured.  
  
"Aw, Quat, maybe we shouldn't have told ya that story." Duo frowned, looking guilty.  
  
"No, no." Quatre shook his head, offering a small smile. "It's not a big deal."  
  
Duo shrugged. "If you say so."  
  
"Duo," Trowa spoke, startling everyone with the reminder of his presence. "Why are you here?"  
  
"Yeah," Quatre added, nodding. "I'd like to hear your story, Duo."  
  
"Hn." Heero sighed, settling back in his chair. "This'll take awhile."  
  
Duo snorted, rolling his eyes. "My story isn't that long, Heero."  
  
"Sure it is, Maxwell." Wufei yawned again, looking tired. "I'm fine, onna. I'm just tired." Quatre glanced around Wufei, but seeing no one there he assumed that Wufei was talking to Meiran. Duo glanced at him, amusement written all over his face.  
  
"Get enough sleep, 'Fei?"  
  
"I'm fine, damnit!" Wufei rolled his shoulders.  
  
"Alrighty." Duo turned back to the newcomers, who were waiting patiently for his story. "Now, ya see, I used to live in a-."  
  
"OWCH!" A loud yelp cut Duo off and he looked up, startled. Dorothy was rubbing her arm. From the looks of things, Wufei had stretched with the fork in his hand and stabbed Dorothy in the process. Said Chinese boy was looking awfully guilty at the moment. Wufei stood quickly and placed the fork on the table.  
  
"Are you all right, onna? My apologies." Wufei reached out to place his hand on Dorothy's shoulder, but had his arms grabbed from behind. "What the...?" Strong arms carried him backward through the cafeteria, and Duo stood quickly.  
  
"Hey! Stop that! Where are you going with Wufei?" he growled at the guards that had apprehended his friend, clutching the side of the table so hard his knuckles turned white. Heero was standing beside him, and turned to Dorothy.  
  
"Are you hurt?"  
  
"I'm fine," she mumbled. "I'm sure it was an accident."  
  
"Where are they taking 'Fei?" Duo snarled, still glaring after the guards. Dorothy bit her lip.  
  
"I assume they're taking him to the White Room."  
  
"What?" Duo whirled, staring at his orderly. "Why?"  
  
"He was on warning, Duo. He could be there for days. I'm sorry."  
  
"No, they can't do that! COME BACK HERE WITH WUFEI!" Duo hollered, jumping out from behind the table and charging after the guards. He was blocked off quickly by another guard, and as he fought to get by another came and grabbed him from behind. "Stop! Let me go!"  
  
"Get a sedative!" Duo paled at the command, struggling so hard that he heard vertebrate pop in the guard's back. He felt the guard twitch and suddenly the weight was gone, leaving him free to tear out of the cafeteria after the guard.  
  
Dorothy placed a hand on Heero's shoulder, sighing at the crumpled guard. "Heero, you realize you'll get in big trouble for that."  
  
Heero shrugged. "If he hadn't let go, he wouldn't just be unconscious right now."  
  
"Yeah," Dorothy sighed. "I know."  
  
---  
  
Four hours later, a very unhappy Duo was seated in an elaborate plush chair that was set up so it faced a large mahogany desk. A nurse was administering his second shot that day, and he glared at her.  
  
Behind the desk sat the Asylum's "counselor" of sorts, the one that determined whether patients were getting better or worse, whether they were violent or non-violent. Duo hated this man with a passion.  
  
"Duo," the rich baritone greeted him, and Duo rolled his eyes. He hated the man's voice as well. "I'm sure you understand that the sedatives were your own fault." The nurse dabbed at his arm with a cotton ball, then nodded to the white-haired man. He smiled to her and she gathered her things, leaving the room quickly.  
  
Duo glared at the counselor, but didn't speak. "If you had kept your "rage" under control, they wouldn't have been necessary. Wufei Chang's business had nothing to do with you."  
  
If the tranquilizers hadn't begun to kick in, Duo would have leapt to his feet in outrage. "'Fei didn't do anything," he hissed. "It was an accident, Merquise!"  
  
Zechs Merquise sighed, leaning back in his chair. "If it was an accident, then we'll find out. In the meantime Wufei is to stay in the punishment area." Duo shuddered inwardly.  
  
"Then why the hell am I in here?"  
  
"Treize told me that I should re-evaluate you. You injured quite a few guards on your hero trip."  
  
Duo growled. "Hero trip? Funny, I thought you were supposed to be the hero." His tone was laced with sarcasm. "Super Zechs, here to save the crazies from themselves."  
  
"It is in my best interest that all residents here remain safe. I will be speaking with those that were seated with you later today, Duo. Your evaluation will commence tomorrow, because today you're too loaded with sedatives to do anything." Zechs paused for effect, looking carefully at Dorothy's charge. He waved a hand dismissively. "You're free to go."  
  
Glaring daggers at the young platinum-haired man, Duo eventually hoisted himself out of the chair and staggered to the door. His movements were sluggish and clumsy, but eventually Duo got the door open and was wobbling down the hallway to his room, trying to keep his eyes open.  
  
Zechs sighed again, running a hand through his bangs. Duo, he thought. Why do you make things so hard on yourself?  
  
---  
  
When he finally arrived at his room, he opened the door to find Quatre, along with Heero and Trowa, sitting on the floor. He shot them all a confused glance, but then spotted the bed. Using his remaining energy to drag himself across the floor, he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.  
  
"Hn," Heero smirked up at his companion. "I don't think he realizes that this isn't his room."  
  
"Isn't that your bed, Heero?" Quatre questioned, indicating the one Duo was lying on. Heero nodded. "But if that's your bed, where will you sleep?"  
  
Heero blinked. "My bed."  
  
"You're going to move Duo?"  
  
"No," Heero replied, shaking his head.  
  
Trowa arched an eyebrow. "Do you want my bed?" It was Heero's turn to look confused.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Duo won't mind if you share a bed?"  
  
Heero's brow furrowed. "No, he's my best friend. He used to stay with me all the time." Heero smirked proudly. "He liked to hear me tell stories. About bears."  
  
Trowa tilted his head as if he wanted to ask more, but held his tongue. Heero glanced at the clock on the wall.  
  
"Duo will be out for a long time, so we should go get some supper while we can." He shot one last glance to his braided friend, then marched out of the room. Quatre glanced at Trowa, and the tall boy shrugged. They followed Heero almost immediately after, walking quickly to keep up with the Prussian-eyed boy's strides.  
  
---  
  
TBC  
  
---  
  
  
  
A/n: No, this isn't yaoi or shounen-ai. No matter how much I love it, this one's relationship-free! (Thus far, I'm still undecided about later on) Duo and Heero are just really good friends, end of story. So don't kill me ^^; 


	5. ..chapter four..

Sorry I took so long! Thanks to ShiroKitsune for convincing (threatening) me to get another chapter out ^^;;  
  
Warnings: We have time shifting, folks. Somewhere along the line we jump backwards and recap a different view from a different character… and yeah. That's just so when it comes along you don't get all confused. Oh, and there's no Duo history here. Next chapter, promise.  
  
-chapter four-  
  
"Duo will be out for a long time, so we should go get some supper while we can." He shot one last glance to his braided friend, then marched out of the room. Quatre glanced at Trowa, and the tall boy shrugged. They followed Heero almost immediately after, walking quickly to keep up with the Prussian-eyed boy's strides.  
  
---  
  
Zechs paused, staring at the door to the room the Chang boy was in. It was silent on the inside, signaling he was either asleep or unconscious. Wufei Chang was NEVER quiet. He glanced at his watch, frowning when the timer read 8:55 PM.  
  
Guess I'll have to postpone a meeting with Duo's comrades until tomorrow, he thought. Sighing softly, he glanced at the white door one last time before marching back towards his office.  
  
---  
  
Grumbling, Heero walked back into his and Trowa's room twenty minutes later. His roommate followed in behind him, who was followed by Quatre. Quatre was carrying a plate of food that Dorothy had managed to save for them.  
  
"We're lucky," Quatre said, smiling playfully. "We might have gone our first day without tasting the institution's fine late-night cuisine."  
  
Trowa arched an eyebrow at him. Sometimes the boy was too optimistic for his own good. He turned back to Heero, who was shoving Duo towards the wall that the bed was against. Duo was still unconscious, and Heero had taken care that his braided friend's neck wasn't bent at some odd angle. He was, however, sleeping on his left arm and probably would wake up with no feeling in it whatsoever.  
  
"Aren't you going to eat, Heero?" Quatre asked, picking at the macaroni on the plate. He seated himself on Trowa's bed, eating the food with his fingers.  
  
"No," Heero replied. "You two eat. I don't like the sauce they put on that shit."  
  
Rather than arguing, Quatre and Trowa obliged and soon the entire plate was spotless. Trowa shot Quatre a curious look when he'd finished.  
  
"Really, Quatre, you didn't have to lick the plate clean. I'm sure the dishwasher doesn't mind." Trowa had allowed the thin blonde to eat most of the food, hoping it would help to put some meat on his bones.  
  
"I just hate leaving messes. I used to do it all the time. I didn't even know I was doing it until somebody screamed."  
  
"Just because you made a mess?"  
  
Heero glanced up as Quatre's face took on a twisted smile. The blonde's eyes darkened and he chuckled softly.  
  
"Well, I don't think the maid appreciated the blood stains. They're horrid to try and get out. I used to leave bones in the sinks and toilets." He paused to chuckle again, placing a hand over his mouth. "I don't think my family appreciated that."  
  
"Is that why you're here, Quatre?" Heero interrupted Quatre's monologue to question him. They hadn't heard Quatre's story yet, either.  
  
The blonde nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "They said I wasn't safe. I killed the animals and smeared their blood on the floors. We had such beautiful marble floors…" Quatre whispered, reaching out as if to touch his imagination's image of marble floors. He stopped midway, blinking in surprise. Glancing around, he saw Trowa and Heero watching him intently. He pulled his hand back, blushing.  
  
"Sorry," he mumbled. Heero nodded, settling back on the bed next to Duo.  
  
"If Trowa doesn't mind, Quatre, you're welcome to stay here." Heero draped an arm over his eyes, signaling that he was ready to sleep. Quatre opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and looked back at Trowa. Trowa shrugged, edging further back onto the bed and laying lengthwise. The blonde smiled at the welcome feeling, not wasting any time in lying back next to his tall friend.  
  
---  
  
"Onna…" Wufei murmured, looking around the white room blearily. He couldn't see Meiran anywhere. "Where are you? Onna?"  
  
He cleared his throat, blinking hard. The white walls hurt his eyes. Usually Meiran would curl next to him and help him sleep. Where was she now?  
  
He could still remember their wedding. Their clans had been feuding for centuries, and their bond was to put an end to the fighting. She had objected at first, but after a year's engagement she told him she loved him. She loved HIM, because he would fight for her sake, even if she didn't need it. He had proved that to her before they'd been wed.  
  
They had been walking around the mountainous region of the area, slowly ascending a steep incline. The dog had come out of nowhere, and had charged straight for Meiran. Wufei had not thought about the consequences, he had merely reacted. He'd pushed Meiran out of the way, taking the dog's strike full-force to his side. He had fallen down the hill with the mongrel, landing at the bottom with one broken arm, a twisted ankle, and a large amount of cuts and bruises. The dog lay dead three feet from him. Meiran had screamed at him, cursed him for trying to be brave, and told him she loved him and would never leave him. He had smiled softly at her as he slipped into a state of unconsciousness that would last for eight days.  
  
They were married three days after he'd woken up. She would not have it any other way, and forced him to walk down the aisle with a black sling around his broken arm. He had been embarrassed, but he would do it for her. He would do anything for her.  
  
Anything meant everything. He would take for her, he would give for her, he would kill for her, and he would die for her. Meiran had not wanted him to die, however. She had died instead. She had died in her sleep, and her spirit had come back to him in his grievance. Her spirit had reassured him, telling him she had been happy when she'd died for she was in the arms of the man she loved.  
  
He had told the elders of her. They did not believe him, and blamed his statements on grief and loss. They would not believe him, and Wufei had taken it upon himself to see that all plans his wife had intended for the clan were realized. The elders had chosen to ignore him once again. Enraged, Wufei had taken justice into his own hands, single-handedly killing fourteen of the elders and members of their families before he was caught. He had been labeled mentally insane when he'd told the court he had done it for Meiran. They had almost immediately sent him to Scaerview, where he had been a resident for over a year.  
  
"Meiran," he murmured, lowering his eyes to the painfully white floor. A shadow materialized on the floor, and he looked up quickly to see a Chinese girl with jet-black hair pulled back into short, spiky pigtails smiling at him. He smiled back, noticing that she was in her sleeping attire. "Is it time to sleep, my wife."  
  
Meiran smiled brightly, dark brown eyes shining in the fluorescent lighting. She was an apparition, but to Wufei she was more alive than most people in the asylum were. She placed a kiss to his temple, curling her arms around his shoulders and laying her head on his right. He rested his head against the wall, imagining the touch of her arms around him and the head on his shoulder. He didn't need to feel her to know she was there, however, and he soon drifted into dreamless sleep.  
  
---  
  
Duo's eyes opened slowly. Taking a short glance around the room he was in, he shut his eyes again and buried his face in the pillow. He remained this way for ten minutes before abruptly launching himself off the bed with an annoyed grunt. He landed on the hard floor with a loud THUD and sat up, rubbing his back gingerly. A quick glance around the room confirmed his suspicions: he was in his room.  
  
He took a deep breath, standing up slowly. The effects of the sedative were wearing off, but he was still quite dizzy. He walked into the bathroom, limping slightly from his fall. There were no mirrors, one sink, one toilet, and a showerhead sticking out of the wall that they called a shower. He closed the bathroom door for privacy, quickly divesting himself of his clothing and turning the water dial built into the wall.  
  
Thirty minutes and quite a large amount of water later, Duo emerged from the bathroom with wet hair, a scratchy towel, and an unusually depressed look on his face. He was drowsy, not stupid. He knew that he'd be tested later that day. He also knew that there was a chance of him losing roommate privileges entirely. On top of it all, his sedatives would turn into caffeine-inducers after a certain amount of time. He gave himself an hour before he was bouncing off the walls, laughing like a maniac.  
  
I'd probably fit in better that way, he thought bitterly. He wanted to sleep, but not with the impending doom of sugarhighdom peeking around the corner and laughing at him. Not to mention the fact that he had a headache that felt like it was slowly tearing apart his skull with teeny tiny pliers…  
  
If anything, Duo had a very gifted imagination.  
  
Duo sighed, slipping on his boxers and uniform pants. He sat on his bed, rubbing his temples with his fore and middle fingers. He was so caught up in willing his headache away that he neglected to hear his door being opened. His head shot up as a shadow fell over him, and he looked into cool, uncaring eyes. Duo smiled; he knew those eyes.  
  
"Hey, Heero." Heero nodded to him, sitting on the bed as well. He swung his legs up and over Duo's head, lying back on Duo's bed comfortably.  
  
"Sleep good?" At Duo's affirmative response, Heero snorted. Duo glanced back at his friend curiously, only to find his eyes closed.  
  
"What's up, Heero?" One cobalt eye opened lazily.  
  
"They moved you last night," he said. Duo's brow furrowed.  
  
"Moved me? Wasn't I here the whole time?"  
  
Heero shook his head. "You showed up at mine and Trowa's room. I think you were a little… disoriented." Heero's smirk told him he had been VERY disoriented, and he didn't doubt it.  
  
When Heero frowned, he almost questioned him again. He stopped himself when his friend beat him to it.  
  
"They let Quatre stay. But they took you." Duo blinked in surprise.  
  
"Q-man stayed in your room?" Heero nodded. "Well, that's interesting." Duo chuckled softly, pitying poor Trowa. "Did he pull a switch?"  
  
Heero's canine teeth shined when he grinned. "Damn right. Scared the shit out of Trowa. Quatre started screaming, and some new guards came rushing in. He stopped when they came in, smiling like a little angel. They looked around the room, took you, and left."  
  
The violet-eyed boy eyed his companion suspiciously. "You let them take me?"  
  
Heero chuckled. "Of course not. I'm willing away sedatives myself, you know." Duo grinned. He and Heero were best friends for a reason.  
  
"They were prepared for you I guess."  
  
Heero shook his head. "Nah," he said. "I think they were freaked out by the screaming. I've never seen a bunch of guards as pathetic as them. Dorothy had to give the shot, everyone else was freaking out and trying to get out the door."  
  
"Dorothy?"  
  
"Yeah," Heero confirmed. "They're getting on her ass for discipline."  
  
"'They' as in Treize," Duo mumbled.  
  
"Better believe it."  
  
Duo sighed. "Did Zechs come after you for a group session yesterday?"  
  
"No." Heero shook his head. "I'm expecting him to show up sometime today. Quatre and Trowa got their suits. When they came Quatre did another switch and started yelling at the woman that brought them. It was entertaining."  
  
"I'm sure." Duo smirked, imagining the poor woman's surprise when an angel came after her screaming like a demon. About clothing. Oh yeah, that was definitely a Quatre thing to do. He watched Heero stretch out lazily and yawn, flopping back on his bed.  
  
"Comfy?" he joked. Heero just smirked, eyes opening slowly.  
  
"You're not tired?" Heero asked.  
  
"Hell yes," Duo exclaimed. "But I can't sleep when I'm being pumped with caffeine."  
  
Heero's nose crinkled in distaste. "Hn. Those ones suck."  
  
"Damn right," Duo grumbled. "The damned pink bunnies are back. They brought friends."  
  
Heero shook his head. "I don't think they'll ever leave you alone."  
  
"I should be so lucky."  
  
Four evenly spaced knocks on the door shook them from their conversation. Duo frowned slightly before calling out.  
  
"Come on in, Dorothy."  
  
---  
  
Dorothy sighed softly, walking through the halls after her meeting with Treize. She had been having quite a few meetings with the director of the institution in the past few days, and he was starting to grate her nerves. He had a reason for everything, and his reasons were always changing into full-fledged stories that she didn't give a rat's ass about. He always chose HER to tell his "stories" to.  
  
"Why can't he go bother Hilde or Sally? Why does he have to bug me all the time?" she mumbled as she made her way to Zechs' office. She knocked briefly to announce her arrival before barging in. Zechs glanced up at her before returning his gaze to the file folder in his hands.  
  
"Dorothy. How can I help you?"  
  
"Don't screw around, Zechs. You want my charges in a therapy session or something, am I right?"  
  
Zechs arched a platinum eyebrow at the blond orderly. "Therapy? I suppose you could call it that. It is actually…" Dorothy held up a hand, cutting off his explanation.  
  
"Please, Zechs. Please, for God's sake, do not explain it to me." Zechs smirked.  
  
"You've been to Treize's office?"  
  
Dorothy sank into the chair Duo had been in the previous day. "Too many times in too little time."  
  
Zechs chuckled, a deep sound that seemed to echo in the roomy office. "I know what you mean. And about the session, Treize believes that Maxwell kid needs to be re-evaluated." Zechs shrugged. "Who am I to argue with his Excellency?"  
  
Dorothy rolled her eyes at their nickname for the Scaerview director. "Nobody argues with him. That's the problem, he's all high and mighty and thinks he knows everything."  
  
"He may have a point with Duo, though. He's seemed oddly unbalanced lately. Haven't you noticed?" Dorothy didn't respond, simply cocking her head to the side and shrugging. She had noticed Duo's unique persona since the day he walked – or, was dragged– into the asylum. He could seem completely oblivious one minute and be totally aware the next. He was an enigma.  
  
He was also Treize Kushranada's personal hemorrhoid.  
  
Dorothy grinned wolfishly. "We should get them in a room together again."  
  
It was Zechs' turn to roll his eyes. "Please, Dorothy. Last time we had to remodel the whole office."  
  
"I never knew Treize could run so fast."  
  
"I never knew Duo could wield a chair so expertly."  
  
They both smiled, relaxing for what seemed to be the first time in ages. Dorothy had befriended the young counselor soon after she'd begun working at the asylum. He was young, had a good sense of humor, and liked to make fun of the director as much as she did. The fact that Zechs was young for a counselor, mid-twenties in age, didn't really make much of a difference in Scaerview for most of the staff was younger than he was. All, however, were older than eighteen years. Dorothy and Hilde were the youngest, being nineteen.  
  
"Okay Dore, for real now. How can I help you?"  
  
"Leave them alone." She needn't say whom, he knew exactly which charges she meant.  
  
"You know I can't do that, Dore." Dorothy frowned.  
  
"Yeah, but it would be great if you would anyway."  
  
Zechs smiled sadly. They were not innocent boys, all of them were highly disturbed and some had even taken the lives of others. Nonetheless, they were still children. They hadn't even finished High School, for God's sake!  
  
"I wish I could, Dore. I really do."  
  
"I know, I know," Dorothy mumbled irritably, rubbing her temples. "I think they've grown on me. Heero and Duo are such NICE guys… I almost can't believe that they'd do the things they did…"  
  
"But they did," Zechs pointed out. "And you should remember that. They're still potentially dangerous. You can't let your guard down around them."  
  
"But, Duo…"  
  
"Especially Duo." Dorothy pursed her lips. She knew he was right; he had his job for a reason. Duo had been eerily calm for months and she knew it was starting to affect her psychologically.  
  
"Damnit," she mumbled. "I need a vacation." Zechs chuckled again, and she joined in shortly after.  
  
"I'll tell you what happens in the session later on, Dore." She smiled wanly and stood to leave.  
  
"Thank you. I'll talk to you again later, Zechs." The long-haired man nodded to her and she walked out of the office, heading towards Duo's room.  
  
She paused, hearing mumbling on the other side. Heero's in there, she thought before knocking on the door. Four evenly spaced knocks, that was code for when she was alone. She heard Duo call out and opened the door cautiously.  
  
Her suspicions had been correct; Heero was lounging next to Duo on the bed and watching her. She stared back at him until he smirked.  
  
"You're normal again."  
  
Dorothy arched a thin, split eyebrow. "I wasn't always normal?"  
  
Duo grinned. "Heero's joking, Dore. You know that you were never REALLY normal." He winked and she smiled warmly at him. She could see the effects of sedatives on him, and the way his fingers twitched showed that the caffeine was kicking in as scheduled. She felt horrible for them doing that to him, but it had been required.  
  
"I know, Duo. How are the both of you feeling today?"  
  
She knew Duo's cheeriness wouldn't last long, and hoped to get a pleasant answer from him at least. She knew to expect something sarcastic from Heero; that was the way he worked.  
  
Unfortunately for Dorothy, Duo's cheery attitude didn't even last that long. His eyes darkened warningly, but she was used to it and stood her ground, evenly returning his stare.  
  
"I'd feel much better if I knew that 'Fei wasn't in that white hell hole." Dorothy resisted the urge to sigh.  
  
"I have no control over that Duo, Treize has taken it out of my hands. Hopefully Wufei will not have to stay there long, but Treize believes this will help him in the long run." Duo sighed, holding his head in his hands.  
  
"And?" Heero prodded. Dorothy's eyebrows rose minutely, but she answered him readily.  
  
"And you," she glanced at Duo, who looked up somberly. "Have a date with Mr. Treize this afternoon. Don't be late, Duo. You'll be called down around four o'clock."  
  
At this statement, a dangerous grin spread across Duo's face. This time he would give the director a piece of his mind, come hell, high water, or sedative-bearing nurses.  
  
---  
  
TBC  
  
A/n: Again, sorry for the long wait. Did you like the little bit with Wufei? I might do that with all the chars if you guys like…but don't worry, Duo's history is next on the list! I swear!  
  
If you enjoy my writing and want some shounen-ai, I'm working on a fic called Dead Without Knowing on my page. Check it out if you want… I enjoy it, and my muses keep bugging me with ideas for it. It'll be updated in maybe a week or two… I don't know. Latas.  
  
Ari-muse: (waves) Ciao. 


End file.
